A BIG Retirement Party and Kindergarten Reunion!

I have stepped away from blogging a bit because I've been devoting my screen time to inviting people to a BIG retirement party-- my own!
Yes, retirement is just about 6 weeks off, about 30 days away, but who is counting😉!

When I decided to retire four years ago, this crazy idea popped into my head: wouldn't it be wonderful to have a reunion of all my former students to celebrate my retirement?!  I've always felt that classroom teaching is all about building a community.  In a classroom community, students learn to care about each other, share with one another, and learn together.  Wouldn't it be great to bring that community together one more time?

My Facebook savvy offspring said, "Yes, Mom!  Do it!  Build it and they will come!"  I could create a Facebook event and invite former students who would invite their friends who would invite their friends and, eventually, close to 700 "kids" would show up at the party!

So, about 4 months ago, we reserved a venue for the party. It’s a nice park district building with inside and outside seating, a playground, and a walking path around the adjacent pond. Guests will be able to enjoy themselves if there is a wait to meet and greet the retiree.

We are still working on how to provide ice cream for all guests. Why ice cream?  Just because it's the BEST treat ever, I think!  

My daughter helped me create the event a month ago. Most of my Facebook friends who are also teachers or parents of former students responded right away that they would be coming. And then I started on this ENORMOUS task of inviting over 600 students.  It has been and continues to be a Wild Ride!

Find a class photo.  Search for a student's name on Facebook. Friend Request. Message about why I'm requesting to be a friend.  Wait for acceptance. Invite.  Wait to see if that student is able to commit to going to the party.

So far, I've looked up about 200 students, found about half of them on Facebook, and about half of them have responded that they are "Going" to the party. Friends ARE inviting friends, too. If this rate stays steady, there could be.....A LOT of former students at this party (although nowhere near the 700 I once envisioned and that is okay!)

I am excited to see everyone who comes!  I know it will be nice to see friends reunite and people make interesting connections.  We all know that it is a small world yet people often feel distant from one another.  I hope that this party will help remind us of our shared life.

It's Spring! A Short and Tweet Kindergarten Lesson

Here in northern Illinois, it doesn't feel much like spring.  It's really cold outside!  However, those harbingers of spring, the robins, have returned.  So, it's time to get out my collection of Wild Republic stuffed birds and teach my kindergarteners to identify different birds by their appearance and their bird calls or songs!

I like to teach the children about tweets that don't emanate from I-phones for several reasons.  I want to get them to wonder about the world outside our classroom.  We really don't devote enough time to outdoor education so a few lessons about backyard birds seems justifiable to me.  I also think it is helpful to increase children's powers of observation as they distinguish the different colors and markings of the various birds.  And, I believe I am improving their auditory skills as they learn to discriminate between the various birdsongs.

Here is what I do:

On the first day, we look at my stuffed cardinal.  The cardinal is a bird that lives in northern Illinois throughout the year. Usually, a few kindergarteners can identify the cardinal.  I have created a flipchart for the Promethean Board that offers a little more information.

Then, we depress the cardinal's body slightly in order to hear its bird call. Of course, 5 and 6 year olds want to try to imitate the bird call!

On the next day, I bring out a robin.  We discuss its colors and then I share the flipchart on the robin.

Once again, we depress the bird's back slightly and listen to its bird call and try to imitate it.

Then, I hide both birds behind my back.  The helper-of-the-day goes behind me and depresses the body of one of the birds.  At my signal, the class announces which bird's call they heard and the helper holds up the correct bird.  Kindergarteners absolutely love this "game."

Sorry- the two birds in this picture are a mourning dove and a robin
instead of a cardinal and a robin, but you get the idea!

In this manner, we continue until we have learned about five or six birds each spring.  Each day, the helper chooses two of the birds for us to briefly discuss, re-read the relevant flipchart, and play The Birdsong Game.  Each lesson takes less than ten minutes.  

If you don't have any Wild Republic stuffed birds, they are available on Amazon.  I've also found them at craft stories and specialty toy stores.  You should definitely research which birds are most prevalent in your area.  There are many to choose from!

Happy Tweeting !